Every Time a Bell Rings
by pandorabox82
Summary: Beverly and Jean Luc join Lwaxana for a night of holiday cheer. But will Beverly be able to stave her jealousy long enough to find true Christmas cheer?


"Are you certain that you want to be in the same room as Lwaxana Troi?" Beverly asked as she smoothed her dress down her body before running a brush through her hair. Turning, she looked at her husband, arching an eyebrow at him as he maintained his silence. "Well, Jean Luc?"

"I don't think we have to worry about her this evening, Beverly," he finally replied as he tugged on the hem of his shirt, making the fabric pull tightly across his chest before he gave her a roguish smile, as if he knew something that she didn't know. "And I am not saying a word until we get there, don't think you can pull it out of me."

Nodding a little, she picked up her purse and went over to his side, hooking arms with him as they walked out of their hotel room and headed out to the lifts. It made sense that the Betazed ambassador, and the Daughter of the Fifth House, would have the Presidential Suite, and she tried not to feel the tiniest sting of jealousy as they rode up to the top floor.

Will and Deanna were exiting the other lift at the same time as them, and she gave a small smile to her friend, surprised to see her there. "Mother said that we had to follow the reindeer tracks to see her this evening. Do you have any idea what she meant, Captain?" Deanna asked as they headed towards the door of the suite.

"I have a slight idea, yes, but only because I met up with a surprise visitor whilst out walking yesterday. They swore me to silence, however, and I agreed, seeing as how all will be revealed in a few moments."

The others nodded, but Beverly found herself frowning as she reached out and knocked on the door of the suite. From behind the door, she could hear a small pair of feet padding loudly towards them, and she smiled, knowing that Ian would soon be throwing open the door to greet them. Deanna chuckled lowly under her breath as her brother's face appeared before them. "You're finally here! Mama has been waiting for you for so long!"

Reaching out, he took hold of Deanna's hand and tugged her inside leaving the rest of them to follow after them. Will shrugged a little as he followed after his wife, and Beverly sighed deeply as she allowed Jean Luc to guide her inside. They had just stepped into the large sitting room when a familiar voice caught her attention, and she turned her head to see Doctor Pulaski standing next to Lwaxana, an open smile on her face. "Jean Luc?"

"That's the surprise. They've been a committed couple for three years now. I'm sorry I couldn't say something early, but Doctor Pulaski asked me to keep it quiet."

Beverly nodded as they approached the couple, and Doctor Pulaski's smile faltered a little before she took a deep breath. "Hello, Beverly."

Ah, first names, that was a good thing, and she nodded a little as she reached out her hand. "Kate. It's so good to see you."

Once again, Doctor Pulaski relaxed, sliding closer to Lwaxana, and from the play of emotions on both their faces, it was clear to Beverly that they had shared something nonverbally, and that made her feel a bit left out. It was only when Lwaxana let out a rich laugh, stepping forward to embrace Beverly warmly before kissing her cheeks, that she started to feel slightly better. "Oh, Jean Luc, really! You, of all people, should know that thinking such things around me will only help me imagine the delicious things you do with Beverly behind closed doors."

A quick gasp slipped from her lips before she saw how red Jean Luc's cheeks had become, and then she started to giggle as she allowed Kate to lead her into the living room, Jean Luc and Lwaxana still tangled up together. "My wife is still good at pushing his buttons."

"Wife?" Beverly replied lowly, knowing that she was probably the only one who knew that little bit of information.

"Yes. That was why we invited Deanna and Will here today. And Lwaxana figured that things might go a little more smoothly with a buffer. I chose you and Captain Picard as our buffer, since I knew that they would feel comfortable with you. It was pragmatic of me, and a bit selfish." Kate gave her a slightly sheepish smile as they entered the room.

Beverly nodded a little as she watched Ian hand Will a tin of ribbon candy, a long green piece of the sweet already in his other hand. "But what about the reindeer tracks?" she asked, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that two so different people had made the commitment of marriage.

"Lwaxana still doesn't really get a lot of human holiday traditions. I tried to explain to her some of the nuance, but when she gets something stuck in her head, well…"

Beverly nodded as she took a seat on the settee closest to the fireplace in the hotel room, relishing in the artificial warmth it exuded. "She can be as stubborn as you are?" she teasd, remembering that trait clearly from their days together at the Academy.

Kate blushed a little as she nodded, drifting towards the doorway moments before Lwaxana and Jean Luc appeared. "All right, everyone, in an effort to learn more about my wife's cultural background, I have decided that we should watch an old Terran film before we eat."

"Wife?" Deanna and Will spat out in unison, twin looks of shock on their faces, and Beverly giggled as Jean Luc settled down next to her, letting her curl up against his side as she continued to watch the tableaux playing out before them. "Mother, you could have told me!"

"And ruin this most delicious surprise? I think not. And it took all my training to get Kate good enough to throw up a shield against you and your prying mind – you're a little too much like me at times, Little One." Lwaxana winked at her before turning her head and pressing a gentle kiss to Kate's cheek before leading her over to the couch and taking a seat next to Deanna. "I can think of nothing that makes me happier than this – being surrounded by my friends and family, rejoicing in love and everything wonderful it brings, and celebrating so much. It only seemed fitting to pull an old movie out of the archives to watch this evening, especially when Katie told me that it had been her grandmother's favourite, once upon a time."

Beverly sighed a little as she snuggled in closer to Jean Luc, watching as Lwaxana got everything set up. There really was something quite romantic about things, she had to give the Ambassador that much. The woman must have overheard her thoughts, since she turned her head a little to smile widely at her before starting the movie. "I suppose that this will be a long evening?" she murmured as she let her head come to rest on Jean Luc's chest, her eyes trained on the screen in front of them.

"As long as it needs to be, Beverly," Kate replied as Lwaxana took a seat next to her. As she watched, the two women seemed to melt into each other, like they had been made to fit, like puzzle pieces, and she found herself tearing up a little at the gorgeous sight. "And romantic, too."

"How much….?"

"Only vague impressions, but my wife is still teaching me to use the limited skills I have. I think that we should focus on the movie right now, rather than chat about my nascent skills as an empath, however. We can discuss medical technicalities after the vid."

Beverly nodded, focusing on the screen once more as the vid began to play. The sound of bells ringing filled the room, and she smiled a little as an ornate bookplate appeared on screen with the title of the vid on the page. "It really is a wonderful life," Beverly murmured as she glanced over first at Will and Deanna, who were tangled up together, and then to Kate and Lwaxana and Kate, who had Ian cradled between them, feeling a deep sense of peace settle into her bones as the vid continued to play, and she sighed with contentment to be spending her holiday in the middle of all this love.


End file.
